Roland Hughes

Interview

====== This story flows readily and provides a special reading experience on at least a couple of levels - a series of fast moving plots and subplots and an incisive look into our existing political world and the dangers governments, coupled with big business entities, are creating for our very immediate future. Infinite Exposure is categorized as "fiction," and one would hope that it really is fiction, but the reader will end up wondering just how much Mr. Hughes knows about what is really going on around us as our world is falling apart wherever we look. It would seem he knows a lot. The characters are not described in much detail, nor are the entities for whom they work spelled out further, but the reader's imagination will flesh out all the background needed to follow about six plots and sub-plots all proceeding on separate courses to one world-shaking conclusion - one much too probable and very terrifying. In the foreground and background, as well, are a global sized American bank, espionage organizations scattered throughout the world and the involvement of al-Qaeda hanging over the free world like a darkening cloud. The author does not define the time period of his story but one begins to realize very quickly that he is writing about now! In the preface, Mr. Hughes tells us, "This book is a work of fiction." He goes on further to say, "Indeed this book is intended to be a wake-up call for both an industry and a country." For 467 pages he fleshes out this very simple statement, to the point where the reader begins to take the "fictional" events and translate them to the realities reported in our daily news media. These realities are frightening and lay out a future of world-wide financial crisis coupled with the dangers of a political polarization of our society... Donn Gurney BookReview.com ======

Please describe your writing environment.

Where ever I am. I do only write when I have a keyboard these days, but I will scratch down notes and day dream topics anywhere.

Please tell us your latest news!

After completing "Infinite Exposure" I went back to my geek roots to write "The Minimum You Need to Know About Java and xBaseJ" which is a free PDF written in the same style and at the same level as the rest of "The Minimum You Need to Know" (R) book series. Another title in that series "The Minimum You Need to Know About Qt and Databases" is ready for external editing now. I have begun writing "John Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars" which many may view as the sequel to "Infinite Exposure", but that would really only be due to time line. These books are many decades apart in earth's time line.

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

I have given up on favorite authors. The publishing industry makes certain no author it has a contract with puts out quality work for long. I used to really like Stephen R. Donaldson, despite the epic descriptions of leprosy, but for whatever reason, he handed off "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" to another author, and I never read another book with either name. I used to love George R. R. Martin and his "Song of Ice and Fire", but he became more concerned with making money than keeping his fans happy and years have gone by without another installment, yet he puts out other titles. I have read "The Wheel of Time" series many times, but it becomes obvious that books seven through ten were simply filler to keep the checks coming in. I know you aren't supposed to speak ill of the dead, but he knew he was sick for a looong time and he stretched the series rather than finishing it off.

I guess what I have really learned from these great wordsmiths is the depth of their shared mistake.

Finish what you start!

If you admire J.K. Rowling for no other reason, as an author or a book reader you have to admire her for that. Despite a publisher and a film industry pushing her to milk that series for another N books without ever bringing the stories to a close, she ended it. She paid the greatest tribute to her fans any author can. She finished the story.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Extremely young. My grandmother, who was around for all of my impressionable young years, was from the letter writing era. From the time I was able to print, she had me writing letters to relatives. Many would respond with stories of their youth. I cannot ever remember being trapped in the "How are you? I am fine. Please ask more questions so I can write more." three sentence letter syndrome of other kids I grew up with. It wasn't until much later...probably in my 20's maybe 30's, that I began to realize the ability to tell a story was a rare gift. We didn't have 2000 titles in my school library, but we had some really great ones. I can remember checking out "Dombey and Son" from my junior high library. I cannot really imagine many Junior High libraries in the country putting a book THAT thick on the shelf.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Never ever write for representation or publication. Write for yourself and your reader. I was extremely lucky when I choose to start out with geek books. That allowed me to develop a "mentor" writing style, as if I was teaching the person one on one. That exact same writing style works perfectly for novels. Write as if you and a friend are at a pub and you are telling them this tale.

It is NOT necessary to physically write every day. I constantly see this advice in writing magazines and nothing could be further from the truth. I have gone for months, actually years, without working on a book. It is not important to sit at keyboard or with pen in hand until you have written your useless word quota for the day. What IS required is that you let your mind tell you a story every day. That you find a time, perhaps lying in bed, when you let your brain tell you a story in full living color. The story may be short or long, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you let your mind tell it. The really good stories will have ways of coming back as you achieve this story telling state each day. Those are the ones you write down. Too many writers try to scribble them all down and they miss the story because they are so focused on the chase. These writers are easy to spot. They are the ones always talking about the cuts and drafts of stories they had to throw away. While I have some I have not completed, I have yet to throw one away.

Do you have a favorite object that is pertinent to your writing?

Not any more. I used to have a favorite keyboard when I first started writing. I moved that keyboard from machine to machine for years until it just couldn't be made to work with a new machine. Since that time I have never found a keyboard I liked. Now, I have a stack of keyboards on two shelves. They range in price from free to $60. Now, because I don't love any of them, I swap out keyboards every week or two. Oddly enough the different layout and feel of each can be just the jolt needed to get me out of a brain stall.

What main genre do you write in?

Suspense / Mystery

What's been the most challenging part of writing for you?

Keeping it all in my head long enough to get it out the keyboard. Inspiration strikes at the oddest, and most inconvenient of moments. I've often thought of building some direct neural interface.

Who has been your best supporter? How have they been there for you?

My family. They cannot begin to read or comprehend most of the geek books I write, but they allow me to lock myself away for days on end writing them.

Do you like to mix genres?

I never set out to mix. Originally I set out to write geek books to help teach other geeks and to keep my consulting work flowing. Being able to point a client to a Web site with your technical book series opens a lot of doors one never knew existed. I only got into writing novels because an interviewer asked "Where do you see IT going in the next five to ten years?" thinking they were tossing up a fluff question and when I responded "I see it being the root cause of nuclear war before the end of 2012" their jaw hit the table. Within the span of an interview there wasn't time to explain that answer. "Infinite Exposure" is my explanation. It's how I pieced together the stories in the news and history books.

"John Smith:..." is also my piecing together of other stories and events from the history books to explain both our future, and that line from Peter Pan..."All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."

What book are you reading now? What are your thoughts on it?

I'm not reading any books right now. I will be starting book 10 of "The Wheel of Time" series at some point soon but that will be my Nth pass through the book. I bought book 11 for my sister in law a while back and decided to read through the entire series before borrowing it from her.

What inspires your writing?

The thoughts that I'm able to have and others cannot begin to grasp. That interview which lead to the writing of "Infinite Exposure" really was the kicker. My years as a software consultant have forced me to always look at the big picture. Most people today have such extreme tunnel vision, only concerned about what impacts them this very instant, that they never step back to get perspective on anything. We all hear the same news reports, but only a few of us step back to connect the dots.

Who's your agent? Please tell us about them.

I do not believe anyone should use an agent. You would only use an agent if you were looking to become an indentured servant to a large publishing plantation. I don't believe in slavery. Every author should learn enough about the publishing business to publish their own work.

Book Library

Disclosure: Night Owl Romance is an affiliate, ad and PR friendly website. Advertisers and affiliates never influence our thoughts on the products. The views and opinions on Night Owl Romance are alwasy our own. Most books and some items that Night Owl Romance reviews are received courtesy of the producer / author / publisher. We use affiliate links on this site and get a commison when you purchase through those links.